In addition to receiving the Arts Panel grant from Pawtucket of $500, the Galway Kinnell Poetry Festival has just been awarded another $500 from RISCA for this year’s festival, which will run from September 27 – September 29. Here is the link for the press release and the full list. Click here for full press release.
Today is the final day for the 2018 Galway Kinnell Poetry Festival. Join us at Stillwater Books, 175 Main St. , Pawtucket RI at 2 pm for featured readings from the festival poets; Bill Carpenter, Ira Schaefer, Norma Jenckes and Patti McAlpine.
Here’s What You Missed
Pints and Poets had a surprise visit from Galway Kinnell family members — his niece, Nancy Batty, with her daughter and granddaughter.
Workshops held and open mic.
Pawtucket, RI– Poetry will take center stage in Pawtucket with a weekend long celebration of readings and workshops at the first Galway Kinnell Poetry Festival from September 14 through Sunday, September, 16, 2018.
Supported by a grant from the Pawtucket Arts Panel in conjunction with the Pawtucket Arts Festival, the event is an offshoot of the annual Galway Kinnell Poetry Contest and honors the memory of poet Galway Kinnell. Born in Providence, Kinnell was raised in Pawtucket.
Coordinator Patti McAlpine said, “Running a poetry contest had been difficult due to time constraints, and I wanted to try something different this year. In Lowell, where I grew up there is a weekend long festival celebrating writer Jack Kerouac. I wanted to do the same to honor Pawtucket’s Poet Galway Kinnell”
Working with other Rhode Island poets and former winners of the Galway Kinnell Poetry Contest Bill Carpenter, Ira Schaefer, and Norma Jenckes as well as Carolyn Decker and Lucas Pralle of Endless Beautiful, the weekend long festival will include an informal evening get-together, workshops and readings.
The social event Pints and Poets will take place Friday evening , September 14 at Galway Irish Pub on South Bend Street starting at 7 p.m.
The festival workshops will take place Saturday from 10 am to 12 pm and again from 2 pm to 4 pm in locations around Downtown Pawtucket. The workshops will include a workshop in Haiku and nature, poetry from around the world, a discussion on the poetry of Galway Kinnell and a workshop centered on the photos submitted for the annual photo contest. In addition, Endless Beautiful will feature a custom audio session with soundscapes sourced exclusively from Pawtucket to inspire creativity and writing. After the workshops an open mic will take place at Stillwater Books.
Sunday afternoon, September 16 from 2 pm – 4 pm a poetry reading featuring Carpenter, Schaefer, Jenckes and McAlpine followed at Stillwater Books.
All events are free and open to poets and non-poets alike. Whether you have an interest in poetry or wanted to try your hand at creative writing or just share a favorite poem there is something available to you. For more information about workshops or to register call Patti Mcalpine at 401-921-1672 or visit Galway Kinnell Poetry Festival or Events
Whether you were a first, second or other winner of the Galway Kinnell Poetry Contest between 2014 and 2017 or perhaps earlier when the contest was managed by the Pawtucket Arts Council; I am seeking former winners to participate in the Galway Kinnell Poetry Festival on the third weekend of September 2018 (9/14 – 9/16). This is an event sponsored by the Pawtucket Arts Panel in conjunction with the 20th annual Pawtucket Arts Festival.
The event will include workshops, featured readings by former winners and open mic.
Please reach out to me by contacting me at Patti McAlpine, galwaykinnellpoetrycontest@gmail.com or respond to this blog. You can also leave a message with phone number to 401-921-1672.
Just learned I will receive another year of grant funding for Galway Kinnell Poetry. However, this year I will be trying something different. Instead of a contest, I plan on gathering past year contest winners to hold a festival of readings and workshops.
Stay tuned… You can help, if you know a winner of the Galway Kinnell Poetry Contest from the last three years as well as previous years when the contest was held by the former Pawtucket Arts Council. Please refer them to this site and email me at GalwayKinnellpoetrycontest@gmail.com.
Borrowed From The Wild A Celebration of Nature and Environment in Poetry
Borrowed from the Wild, A celebration of nature and the environment in Poetry. Stillwater Books, 175 Main Street will host a National Poetry Month event to honor Earth Day and our local environment. The event will take place Wednesday, April 25th from 7 pm to 9 pm.
Featured readers include Patti McAlpine, RI poet and organizer of the Galway Kinnell Poetry Contest and reading; Bill Carpenter, RI Poet, member of Ocean State Poets, and last year’s 2nd Place winner of the Galway Kinnell Poetry Contest and Ira Schaefer, RI poet, also a member Ocean State Poets and first place winner of the 2016 Galway Poetry Contest.
The reading will begin at 7 pm and go to 9 pm. An open mic will follow after the featured poets. Read an original or share a poem from a favorite poem on nature and the environment.
Last week Pawtucket gained a bookstore, opened by Steve and Dawn Porter of Stillwater Publishing. I am sure Galway Kinnell would be pleased to see this new venture in his home city.
I invite all poets and book lovers who visit my page to stop by this new bookstore.
The Pawtucket Arts Festival, The Samaritans of Rhode Island and Galway Kinnell Poetry Contest coordinator, Patti McAlpine invite you to attend the third annual Pawtucket Poetry Celebration on Park Place. This arts festival event will take place Sunday, September 24, 2017 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Forget-Me-Not Gallery, 67 Park Place, Pawtucket, RI.
Supported by a grant from the Pawtucket Arts Panel in conjunction with the recent Galway Kinnell Poetry Contest, three winning poets and three honorable mentions will read their winning poems. Other featured poets include Tina Cane, State Poet Laureate; Seth Tourjee, Frequency Writing Director and Christopher Kondrich, RI poet and last year finalist.
The Winners
First place: Marybeth Rua-Larson of Somerset, MA, “West Second Oswego, 1986”
Second place: Bill Carpenter, Chepachet, RI, “Ghosts and Where to Find Them”
Third place: Mark Jay Brewin, Jr. Northampton, MA, “Helium”
Honorable mentions: Beatrice Lazarus, Cranston, RI; Laura Foley, South Pmfret, VT and Barry Bayon, North Kingstown, RI.
About Galway Kinnell and Contest
Born in Providence, RI, Galway Kinnell was raised in Pawtucket, RI. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1983, awarded a National Book Award and was recipient of a McArthur Fellowship. He served as F.B. Morse Professor of Arts and Sciences at New York University and was Vermont’s state poet laureate. He passed away on October 28, 2014.
The Galway Kinnell Poetry contest originated in 1985 by the Pawtucket Arts Council but has been dormant since 2002. It is with great honor that Pawtucket Arts and Culture Commission along with the Pawtucket Arts Festival reinstate this contest as a memoriam to one of New England’s and Pawtucket’s most outstanding poets.
For more information, please contact Patti McAlpine, Contest Coordinator at 401-996-8678 or e-mail at mcalpine.patti@gmail.com.
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Details Coming Soon!
Galway Kinnell Poetry Festival 